LESS Alcohol ~ July 2025 ~ One Day at A Time

@BurnMode05 Staying AF at a wedding is quite impressive!!

@itladyee Thank you for this great list of wind-down ideas. I've been wanting to try breathwork and meditation for some time now; I might look into some online resources to get some guided exercises to get me started.

@nbruns83 I had to laugh when I read this - truer words were never spoken.

After all, I never wake up and say, "Oh, I wish I'd drunk a bottle of wine so I could feel achy, tired and guilty this morning."

I do often thank myself in the morning after an AF night, but that thankful feeling just doesn't always carry through the whole day to get me through a craving.

Welcome @barabaradem !

Just catching up to the posts. @itladyee so glad to hear your MRI results were normal! @globalhiker, sorry to hear about the swollen ankles. It happens to me sometimes but usually when I’m hot. Yeah, the last thing you want to do is wear compression stockings in the summer. Hot, and they don’t exactly go with shorts!

love and hugs to everyone else who is a ball of stress. I love the options for decompressing after work that doesn’t involve a drink. I’m going to start to incorporate that.

We celebrated our 28th anniversary this weekend, and had a great time sailing. I had less alcohol for most days, but what a putting me over the edge is a delicious Madeira that we found as a nightcap. So I’m done drinking for the day, but cannot ignore the siren call of this drink. At least I haven’t been drinking while sailing, so it all evens out.

I never thought I’d learn so much about boat mechanicals, but here we are. We had a problem with the air conditioner, and fixed it! Cleared a pipe from the condenser to the bilge, and had no more issues. So proud of us! Then 24 hours later it stopped working again. Luckily we are slated to have an AC expert take a look at it soon. I almost canceled that appointment! I wonder if there is an electrical problem. The saga continues.

My workout schedule has been completely thrown off lately, but I’m back at it this week while I’m home. Down at the boat, I want to incorporate some early walks and strength using one of those bands.

I also need a massage and a facial!

@SparkSpringtime69, yeah, resolving to not drink is easier in the morning, but every day I make it through the "happy hour" hours without caving helps to strength my resolve. I've been working on this since 2021 when my DH had a serious scare with pancreatitis. Like many folks, we drank our way through the covid pandemic, and it was hard to break those comfort cocktails, etc.

@LittleSurferGirl7, sending hugs your way - maybe today is the day, who knows?

@Womona, I know nothing about boating or sailing, so it's interesting to hear about your skills and adventures. I can imagine it's easier to learn that technical stuff with a clear head (meaning less alcohol), but I understand the call of those tasty nightcaps.

July stats

AF 10
LA 3
A 1

As much as I want to drink this evening, I won’t. We went out to dinner because I’m just too tired. I stuck with water while we were out, so that’s a plus. Just as much as I want the numbness, I just don’t want the ramifications. I’ve marked today AF because I don’t have any in the house either.

My boss scheduled 3 back-to-back 1 hour meetings for me today, and 2 of the three I had to lead. They started at 7AM. I logged in at 6:30 hoping I could get my most pressing stuff done, but I really needed more time. I was so far behind after that. I didn’t log off until 4:45 this afternoon, and the only breaks I took were potty breaks.

My neck and back hurt, and I just want to lay down and not move for about 3 days. But, laundry needs folded and put away, bathrooms need cleaned, chicken stock needs canning, and more… not happening tonight though.

A-3
AF-15

Not drinking in the evening is helping me get up a little earlier so I can get outside ad walk or jog before the temperatures heat up. Since I'm not a morning person, that a big change for me.

July Stats

AF 11
LA 3
A 1

July:

AF=7
A=8

Hello- I have scrolled past this group several times when looking through recent posts and thought nah, not ready to face being AF and actually telling others I am trying.

Never drinking again actually scares me a bit. Mainly because I have had periods without it (3 years was the longest) yet always go back. My issue is I can’t do 1 or 2. I say I will and I think I can but that is very rarely how it works out.

Take this coming weekend. We will be away and socializing. I know deep down I will order the 9 ounce wine at dinner, then most likely have a second 6 ounce, and be craving something more. That will affect my sleep and leave me with a headache the next morning. Or if I get offered a beer- it will end up being 3.
That’s where I am stuck. Chasing the buzz.
I don’t think I am looking for accountability- that needs to come from within.

Not sure what I am looking for with this group but would like to hang around a while to not feel so alone with trying to do this. My home life is a tough place to do it. Everything revolves around a drink- people dropping by, dinner time, beer during the day, Baileys with coffee at breakfast. Everyone (me, husband, 2 adult children and their spouses) work together ranching. No one gets out and out drunk but it’s an ingrained part of the day. I related to someone’s comment about drinking your way through COVID. My daughter and I would sit down every night with a couple of bottled margaritas and watch 90 day fiancé! It was fun especially since she was back home after college. I keep wanting to go back to that feeling but it can’t be recreated.

Hope there is room for me here.

How I think I look when drinking:

But pretty sure it’s more like:

Melanie

@SparkSpringtime69 LOL, I just realized they are very much so impressive stats since as of that count there had only been 15 days in July, and I counted 3 and 15🤦🏻‍♀️🤣 It should have been 3 and 12. As of today, it’s 3 and 13. The stats aren’t so impressive anyway since all three A days were full bottles of wine, not just a couple of glasses.

I made sure to log off at 4:00 today, but I forgot to send something out. I went back online at about 6:30 to send it, responded to another email, logged off again, and forgot to send it again. I just remembered as I was typing this, and I have decided it can wait until morning.

@dvmmcw7442 that second picture is too graceful for me😉

Welcome! I had to laugh at the pictures! Your post really resonated with me. I can moderate, but instead of a ranch where the alcohol happens all day, I have it on our boat. It’s really tough to cut back when I’m in either relaxing mode, or fixing broken things mode. I hope you enjoy being on this thread. I would LOVE to hear more about ranching life!

@dvmmcw7442 Melanie, welcome. I can relate to that what you said, because I am not ready to commit to never drinking again. But limiting myself to one glass, especially if I'm home, is pretty hard for me too.

"Never drinking again actually scares me a bit. Mainly because I have had periods without it (3 years was the longest) yet always go back. My issue is I can’t do 1 or 2. I say I will and I think I can but that is very rarely how it works out."

I still really like the relaxing atmosphere I associate with wine. I'm sure I don't look like the elegant baroness either.😛But we can daydream.

This summer, I've been able to satisfy the cravings with a non-alcoholic beer, an IPA that almost tastes like a real one. During the winter months, I wasted too much money trying various non-alcoholic wines, but they were either too watery, too sour, or too sweet. Ugh! I figure that every drink I don't have is a success, even if I give in at other times. It's a complicated and very individual journey.

Checking in to set my "drinking something else" intention for the day. Welcome newcomers. If you stick around long enough, the positive change you want happens. How fast you want to get to your goals is your call. And yeah, it's hard work in the beginning and it takes commitment but so worth it to get the life you want.

I'm happy with my chocolate and cherries, as long as nobody takes that away, I can keep going.

My husband went back to drinking a few times a week. UGH. He is using it as self medication since his stress level is so high. You know it's just going to make him feel more stressed the next day and I have to deal with his mood. UGH again. At least he is getting a spine surgery date and found a great doctor. I've been holding my mental health steady by spending more time in the pool doing water aerobics. The longer I am in the pool, the calmer I get (no alcohol needed). Today I feel like staying in there all day long but I have to drop to go to work.

8 AF

3 LA

6 A

Hi all,

Trying to get the feel of you all- lots of people to follow. Hope to get to know you.

Well, got through our travel meal with one 8 ounce glass of wine. But boy, oh, boy I asked my husband if he could order ahead so the wine would be waiting for me at our table when we got there 🫣

Driving the rest of the way right now and boy could I go for another!

Love reading everyone's post. They are very helpful.

Melanie

Thank you for the well wishes, my tooth surgery went ‘fine’ and is healing well. I am picking up 4 more AF days while on ibuprofen and antibiotics. So, I’ll be back on Sunday with my stats.

It’s great to see many new people join in, as well as long standing LA friends here. For those who are able, why don’t we give an intro about who we are and share our goals for Less Alcohol? I think this will help us get to know one another better and be able to offer added support and encouragement.

I’ll start since I’m convalescing:)

I began my journey with less alcohol in February 2023 following a serious sinus infection. I had been an on and off daily wine drinker for 20 years (post raising a family).

I began lurking here awhile before jumping in. I was thrilled to see a platform for folks who wanted to cut down and yet not quit! This really describes me. Our incredible, phenomenal leader and moderator at the time was MissMay. Her example was a huge part of why I began this journey. And, thank you @itladyee for carrying the torch now, you know I appreciate you too!

I am retired from a 30-year career in upper management positions, 2nd time around married to a wonderful man who is a non-drinker, have grandchildren that live close, strive to improve my health and prevent any future health issues as I get older. I also love to garden, hike, travel, volunteer, read (lifelong learner) and do yoga and Barre.
My goal has never been to quit, but to lead a more mindful, moderate and more abundant life with less. I am grateful for this path! I also use other tools and listen to podcasts that help me keep my life goals top of mind.
Would love to see more additional introduction posts - take good care of yourself today!

Hi all, hope everyone is doing well today (@Michieb125 glad to hear you're healing is going well).

Here's a quick intro from me:

I started on this group March of last year; I think I may have lurked a month or two before I chimed in with a comment. I've had some success cutting back and this group is a big part of that. I've been an almost daily drinker for my entire adult life and, now that I've retired (I do have a small part-time job, mostly to keep me busy), I'm getting more focused on my health and happiness. My ultimate goal is to quit altogether - I have a hard time moderating and believe that becoming totally AF would be my best route.

I live in SC, USA with my wonderful significant other, no kids or pets (at least for now on the pets). I love learning and am always signed up for some kind of online class and some kind of in-person class when I can find ones that interest me, usually arts/crafts type classes and computer stuff. I took a couple of hand drumming classes last fall and this spring and fell in love with it. Now I go to drum circles twice a month and am really looking forward to September when the next class will run.

I also love to play golf, travel, read and work out at my gym (yoga, tai chi, step classes and weight training mostly).

Hope everyone has a great day and a wonderful weekend! 😎